January 19, 2013

Meaning?

If one chooses to think of creative endeavors -- music, poetry, painting...etc. –- as languages in their own right, then it has to be the height of indiscretion to ask the artist to try to describe the work using another wholly insufficient alternative language. This is one reason artist's statements are predictable nonsense, inspiring tortured verbiage and smacking of obfuscation.

So I enjoyed reading this refreshing and cogent reply by composer Aaron Copeland when asked about his work:

“The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, ‘Is there a meaning to music?’ My answer would be, ‘Yes.’ And ‘Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?’ My answer to that would be, ‘No.’”